As the UK wakes up, the result of the US election is not yet certain.
With exit polls announced in different states at different times, many of the most important battleground states are still too close to call, according to Sky’s partner network NBC News.
Polling stations in several of the seven battleground states were subject to bomb threats throughout Tuesday.
The security threats, which were all confirmed “non-credible” by the FBI, briefly stopped people from voting in Fulton County and DeKalb County, Georgia.
There were also hoaxes in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Arizona, but voting was not impacted there.
Two counties in North Carolina reported brief polling station closures due to computer and printer issues.
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Both Georgia and North Carolina said they would have to extend voting hours as a result – but ultimately the official statewide polls closed on time – with some allowed to continue voting beyond the deadline.
Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state, claimed the fake bomb threats had come from Russian IP addresses.
“They’re up to mischief, it seems. They don’t want us to have a smooth, fair and accurate election, and if they can get us to fight among ourselves, they can count that as a victory,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Russian embassy in Washington described claims of interference as “malicious slander”, adding: “As President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stressed, we respect the will of the American people.”
Russia has been accused of interfering in other recent US elections, particularly the 2016 race that saw Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton.
Internet claims a ‘fake Melania’ voted alongside Trump
When footage emerged on social media of Melania Trump voting alongside Donald Trump in Florida it was met with conspiracy theories it was not actually her.
Mr and Mrs Trump cast their ballots at Mandel Recreation Center in Palm Beach late on Tuesday afternoon.
But people online claimed it was a “fake Melania”, questioning her appearance and speculating that Mr Trump had used a body double instead.
One post on X, which garnered thousands of views, captioned a clip of the former first lady: “That’s not Melania. This is insane.”
Sky News analysed the video and compared it with photos taken of Mrs Trump by the Reuters news agency – which show her by her husband’s side at the same precinct – proving that it was her.
It’s not the first time ‘fake Melania’ has trended online. Mrs Trump’s rare appearances on this year’s campaign trail – in stark contrast to the 2016 and 2020 races – sparked speculation the former president was using a lookalike to stand in for his wife at previous events.
Mrs Trump introduced her husband and X founder Elon Musk on stage at his rally at Madison Square Gardens late last month – and is reported to have taken part in private fundraisers, including one at Trump Tower in New York.
Florida fails to guarantee abortions – but other states succeed
The proposal on the ballot would have allowed women to terminate pregnancies up to 24 weeks. Currently, the law only allows them up to six weeks – before most women know they are pregnant.
It’s a victory for Republican Governor Ron DeSantis who has campaigned heavily against ‘Amendment 4’ with state-funded TV adverts and threats of criminal charges for TV channels that aired ads supporting it.
The amendment won majority support – but ultimately failed to get the 60% needed for it to become state law.
Abortion was on the ballot in 10 states after the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v Wade in 2022.
In contrast to Florida, Democrat-safe states Colorado and New York were among those that voted to protect reproductive rights, NBC projected.
In New York, the constitution will now guarantee that people can’t be denied their rights based on “pregnancy outcomes” as well as race, religion, and other protected characteristics.
In Colorado, reproductive rights will become part of the state constitution – barring state authorities from trying to impose a local ban – and the current constitutional ban against public-funded abortions will be lifted.
According to an NBC exit poll, only 14% of voters ranked abortion as the most important issue of the election overall – compared to 35% who said democracy.
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He said there was “law enforcement coming!” to investigate his claims in the Pennsylvania city – but there was no evidence of this.
Twenty minutes later he posted again on his Truth Social media platform that police were also out investigating electoral fraud claims in Detroit, Michigan.
The state’s district attorney Larry Krasner said there was “no factual basis in these allegations”.
“If Donald J. Trump has any facts to support his wild allegations, we want them now. Right now. We are not holding our breath,” he wrote on X.
Both Pennsylvania and Michigan are among the seven battleground states that historically decide who wins the White House.
Mr Trump filed more than 60 lawsuits over claims of voter fraud in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and Washington DC in 2020.
Nearly three-quarters of American voters say US democracy is under threat, according to exit polls.
The views, compiled by Edison Research, reflect a deep anxiety as the country waits to see who its new leader will be, following a contentious campaign.
Democracy and the economy were ranked as the most important issues, with 35% citing democracy and 31% saying the economy, followed by abortion and immigration at 14% and 11% respectively.
The poll also found 73% believe democracy is in jeopardy, compared to just 25% who said it is secure. The 2020 election was followed by insurrection at the US Capitol and there has been unease about whether voters will peacefully accept whoever is chosen this year.
The exit polls also underscore the polarisation in the US, with divisions only growing starker as the campaign has worn on. Donald Trump has used increasingly dark and apocalyptic rhetoric, while Kamala Harris has warned a second Trump administration would threaten the very foundations of American democracy.
Ms Harris leads among women, while Mr Trump is more popular among male voters, the exit polls suggest. Research also shows women make up 53% of the electorate – largely unchanged from 52% in 2020.
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Trump projected to win Florida
The share of voters without a college degree – who prefer Mr Trump – is down slightly, at 57%, compared to 59% four years ago.
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Voters also said they trust Ms Harris more on issues of abortion (51% to 44%) but Mr Trump is more trusted to handle immigration (52% to 46%).
Women were more than twice as likely to name abortion as a key issue compared to men (19% of women named it as a priority, compared to 8% of men).
There were less than two percentage points between the candidates on issues of crime and who would be better at handling a crisis.
White men were more likely to favour Mr Trump (59%). But exit polls found the gap for white women was closer, with 51% supporting the Republican candidate and 47% supporting Ms Harris.
Black men and women overwhelmingly supported the Democrat nominee, at 79% and 92% respectively.
And despite comments about Puerto Rico at a Trump rally, 54% of Latino men still seem to support him, according to the polls. Almost two-thirds (62%) of Latino women supported Ms Harris.
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Trump supporters vote wearing garbage bags
The battleground states
While 52 states are theoretically up for grabs, just seven key states could decide the future of the United States.
The exit polls show Ms Harris is viewed more favourably than her Republican opponent in Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Georgia – though her ratings remain lower than Biden’s in the 2020 exit polls.
Mr Trump is viewed as more favourable than his opponent in Nevada and Pennsylvania, while the candidates are tied in Arizona.
The preliminary exit poll results are also subject to change as more people are surveyed.
No matter who wins, history will be made. Ms Harris, 60, would become the first woman, black woman and South Asian American to win the presidency.
Mr Trump, 78, would become the oldest person to be inaugurated, the only president to be impeached twice and the first former president to be criminally convicted. He would also become the first president to win non-consecutive terms in more than a century.
Voting was disrupted by bomb threats and technical problems in at least four US battleground states on election day, according to officials.
The FBI said on Tuesday evening it is “aware of bomb threats to polling locations in several states, many of which appear to originate from Russian email domains”, adding that they have all been deemed “non-credible” so far.
In the swing state of Pennsylvania, which carries the most Electoral College votes of all the battlegrounds, courts approved up to an hour extra voting time after bomb threats briefly stopped ballots being cast.
Ten polling stations in Georgia‘s Fulton County were subject to threats, with two closed and evacuated for 30 minutes on Tuesday morning.
Bomb sweeps were also carried out by police at four polling stations in DeKalb County, Georgia, with voting briefly suspended before staff were given the all-clear to return.
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Key swing states explained
Georgia’s secretary of state Brad Raffensperger echoed the FBI, saying most of the threats appeared to have been sent from Russia.
“They’re up to mischief, it seems. They don’t want us to have a smooth, fair and accurate election, and if they can get us to fight among ourselves, they can count that as a victory,” he said.
The Russian embassy in Washington denied any claims of interference, describing such allegations as “malicious slander”.
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“We would like to emphasise that Russia has not interfered and does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, including the United States,” it said. “As President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stressed, we respect the will of the American people.”
In Apache County, Arizona, polls were allowed to stay open until 9pm local time – two hours after the original deadline – following bomb threats.
Adrian Fontes, Arizona’s Democratic secretary of state, said four bomb hoaxes had been delivered to polling stations in Navajo County, but they did not disrupt polling there.
Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro sought to assure people in his state the fake bomb threats posed “no threat to the public”.
Meanwhile in North Carolina, two counties suffered technical problems, according to the state’s board of elections.
Gardners School precinct in Wilson County reported a printer issue that saw voting suspended between roughly 6.30am and 8am, local media said.
A computer issue was also reported at Burke County Pilot Mountain voting precinct.
The US election is expected to be decided on the results in seven so-called battleground states: North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona.
North Carolina and Georgia originally sought permission to extend polling hours beyond their original deadlines – but Sky’s partner network NBC News later confirmed both states would close on time – by 7.30pm EST (12.30am UK).
Voters were still allowed to cast their votes for a short period after that – but the polls were declared officially closed statewide.
More security threats in other battleground states
Bomb hoaxes were also reported in Michigan and Wisconsin.
Ann Jacobs, head of the Wisconsin Election Commission, confirmed two polling stations in the state capital of Madison were sent bomb threats – but neither stopped people casting their votes. She did not know of any Russian involvement.
Officials had feared disruption in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene caused devastation there last month – but authorities reported “minimal problems” aside from the minor technical glitches, with temporary precincts set up in tents in the worst-affected areas.